Olive oil infusions to increase the flavour in your cooking

Are you missing that little burst of flavour in your dishes? Try this easy olive oil infusion guide and take your home-cooking to the next level.

Are you trying to get more complex with the flavour profiles in your home cooking, but not sure where to start? Are your salads missing that extra little sparkle? Olive oil infusions are the perfect way to spruce up your cooking with little effort and loads of flavour.

What you’ll need to make perfect olive oil infusions

Incredibly simple to make, olive oil infusions are an easy way to enhance your feasts. To start, you’ll definitely need a quality olive oil as your base – we like extra virgin olive oils that have been cold pressed.

You’ll also need some sturdy glass jars or bottles, and we recommend using your oils soon after making them – flavour profiles are best early on, and you don’t want the fresh ingredients to go off after too long.

Try out these easy recipes today:

1. Simply the best: Garlic oil

Garlic is probably one of the most versatile ingredients in the savoury world. Whether you’ve got a dish of roast vegetables, a salad, a pasta, a pizza – you name it, it’ll taste good drizzled in garlic. To infuse your oil with garlic, keep the cloves whole and heat in a pan for 5min with about a ¼ of a cup olive oil. Decant, cool and use on the same day if possible.

2. Fire up your infusions with chilli

Heat dried chillies (2-4) in a pan with ¼ cup olive oil for a spicy drizzle. Alternatively, use our olive oil method of making preserved chillies to whip up your infusion in a flash – the longer they soak, the stronger the flavour will be. This method works with most ingredients, including herbs and even lemon rind for a bit of zing.

3. Herbs, leaves and spices

A slice of bruschetta toast with fresh tomatoes has never tasted as good as when it’s got a drizzle of freshly infused basil oil. Or, you can experiment with oregano and black pepper – or thyme and a touch of lemon juice – for more complex flavour profiles. Simply heat ¼ cup oil in a small saucepan with a handful of leaves or a dash of dried herbs. If your oil ends up tasting quite strong, you can always dilute it with more olive oil, or use a small drizzle!